In the manufacture or assembly of a vehicle body, it is known to have a vehicle body assembly line including a plurality of designated work stations in which the vehicle body is assembled and forwarded as the assembly work proceeds. Typically, the major structural components of the vehicle body are welded together in a general welder (i.e., one of the stations of the assembly line wherein primary welding operations are performed to connect the vehicle body components to create the body-in-white body). The vehicle body is then transferred to a painting station for the start of the painting process.
Current vehicle body designs use plastic garnishes or bolted on parts to cover certain portions of the assembled vehicle body that cannot meet styling or design requirements. Generally, these plastic garnishes are attached through metal brackets that are affixed (via welding or fasteners) to the vehicle body. Plastic garnishes have a higher cost and usually do not offer structural reinforcement to that portion of the vehicle body. In addition, bolted on parts require additional manpower which can lead to inconsistent fit of the garnish on the vehicle body portion.